Feed device for autographic



Aug. 7, 1951 P. A. FLAWN FEED DEVICE FOR AUTOGRAPHIC REGISTERS FiledAug. 29, 1946 3 Shegts-Sheet 1 61a; am I g wm 00.4, Mvui Aug. 7, 1951 P.A. FLAWN 2, ,5

FEED DEVICE FOR AUTOGRAPHIC REGISTERS Filed Aug. 29, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet2 '1 willy s 'W 3 IN l/QNTOR G14. %/ZW Q Aug. 7 1951 Filed Aug. 29, 1946P. A. FLAWN FEED DEVICE FOR AUTOGRAPHIC REGISTERS 3 Sheecs-Sheet 5rwvehraa Patented Aug. 7, 1951 FEED DEVICE FOR AUTOGRAPHIC REGISTERSPercy Alfred Flawn, Lambeth, London, England,

assignor to W. H. Smith & Son Limited, London, England, a Britishcompany Application August 29, 1946, S erial No. 693,643 In GreatBritain December 28, 1945 6 Claims.

This invention relates to so called autcgraphic registers of the type(hereinafter referred to as the type described) in which a supply ofcontinuousstationery strips is drawn from a zig-zag pack or a roll andis traversed step by step across a writing'platen by feeding meansoperable by successive movements of an external handle or theequivalent.

'In autographic registers of the type described it is desirable that apositive stop should be provided for automatically limiting the lengthof stationery strips fed at each step; for example, the strips may havea succession of forms printed along their length and it is important inthat event that exactly one form length should be fed at each movementof the handle. It is an object of the invention to provide in anautographic register of the type described an improved form of stopmechanism for this purpose. In some autographic registers of the abovetype, the operatinghandle is rotatable and a complete revolution of thehandle is required for eachfeeding step. A more convenient arrangementis one in which the handle is moved through only a part, say onequarter, of a revolution for each feeding step and is then returned tothe starting position. The invention .is particularly suitable for usewith autographic registers arranged in this way.

The invention consists in an-autographic register of the type describedand having the char--' acteristic feature that the driving connectionbetween the operating handle or the equivalent and the stationeryfeeding means includes a feed limiting device comprising a drivingmember movable by the handle, a driven member operatively connected to.the stationery feeding means, a stop member arranged to engageand stopthe movement of the driven member (or a part in fixed driving connectiontherewith) after a predetermined amount of stationery has been fed and apawl or the equivalent arranged to provide a one-way driving connectionbetween the driving and driven members and also as a preliminary to eachfeeding operation to disengage the stop member.

In a preferred formlof the invention the feed limiting device comprisesa spindle or the equivalent constituting the driving member and arrangedfor oscillatorymovement by the operatinghandle, a rotatable ring coaxialwith and surrounding the spindle in spaced relationship, the ringconstituting the driven member and having two or more apertures in itscircumference, a stop pawl outside the rings-and arrangedrautomaticallyto engage each aperture in turn from the outside to stop rotation of thering and a driving pawl carried by the spindle in the space between thespindle and ring and arranged at the beginning of each operation of thehandle in the feeding direction to engage from the inside the aperturealready engaged by the stop pawl to push the stop pawl out of itsengagement with the aperture and then by its engagement with theaperture to rotate the ring until the stop pawl by engagement with thenext aperture prevents further movement of the ring.

The invention includes the inversion of the feed limiting device justdescribed in which the stop pawl engages the apertures in the drivenmember from the inside thereof while the driving pawl engages theapertures from the outside of the driven member.

The feed limiting device may include a nonreturn device to preventbackward movement of the stationery. This non-return device may comprisea ratchet engaging teeth on-the driven member of the feed limitingdevice or, preferably, the ratchet is arranged to engage a toothed wheeldriven by gearing from the driven member and carried, for example, onthe shaft carrying the stationery feeding means.

One example of an autographic register embodying a feed limiting deviceforming thesubject of this invention will now be described withreference to the accompanying drawings in Which Figure l is anelevation, partly in section, of the autographic register;

Figure 2 isa section partly broken away and on the line 22 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a detail View in-the direction 3-3 in Figure 2 showingthefeed limiting device from one side ready for operation; I i V Figure4 is a detail view'showing thefeed limiting device from the other side;

Figures 5 and 6 are diagrammatic views of a modification of the feedlimiting device; and

Figure 7 he diagrammatic view of a further modification of the device.

In this example the autographic register comprises an outer casing Ihaving a hinged cover 2 provided with a rectangular-aperture 3. Withinthe casing and secured to the bottom of the casing by screws 4 is aninner frame 5 which carries the feeding means and a writing platen 6positioned belowthe aperture 3. In usea ig zag pack of-continuousmanifolding stationery lS placedin acompartmentl andis traversed step bystep-each step corresponding to a printed formover the writing platen bythe feeding gearing later described from the operating handle II. Thehandle is arranged for manual operation through a quarter of arevolution for each feeding step and then to be returned to the startingposition as shown in the drawings by the spring I2. The handle iscarried on a shaft I3 supported in bearings in the inner frame and anauxiliary frame 3. The shaft I3 constitutes the driving member of thefeed limiting device and is provided with a grooved disc I4--orequivalent radial arm-near the end remote from the handle II. The discI4 has a pin I5 extending from one side face and co-operating with aslot I6 in the auxiliary frame 6 to limit the travel of the handle.

7 The driven member of the feed limiting device is in the form of a gearwheel I8 rotatable on the shaft. One side face of the gear wheel has anupstanding ring I9 surrounding the disc and spaced therefrom. The ringhas four gaps or apertures 20 equally spaced around its circumference.The stop pawl 2I is pivoted at 22 to the auxiliary frame 6 outside thering I9, the pivot being ahead of the operative part 23 of the pawlconsidered in the direction of rotation indicated by the arrow in Figure3. The pawl is urged towards engagement with the outside of the ring bythe spring 25 and the operative part of the pawl is of rectangular formwhich is a working fit in the apertures in the ring. The driving pawl 27is pivoted at 28 within the groove in the disc I4 with the operativepart 35 of the pawl leading the pivot considered in the direction ofrotation. The pawl is of substantial length relative to the radialdistance between the pivot 28 and the inside of the ring I9 so that whenthe pawl is in engagement with an aperture 20 in the ring and rotarymovement is applied to the driving member, the pawl exerts pressure onthe driven member in a direction such that there is a substantialcomponent of pressure directed radially outwards. This component ofpressure is employed to enable the driving pawl to push the stop pawlout of its engagement with the aperture.

The apertures in the ring are each of rectangu-.

lar formation and in order to assist in engagement of the stop pawlswith the apertures, the end faces of the two pawls are slightly curvedas indicated in Figure 3.

The gear I8 constituting the driven member is in driving engagement witha smaller gear 32 integral with a gear 33 in driving engagement with agear 34 mounted on a shaft 35 carrying the pin wheels Ii]. The shaft 35also carries a ratchet wheel 35 co-operating with a pawl 38 to tion theratio is such that the pin wheels make one complete revolutionfor eachquarter turn of the driving and driven members of the feed limitingdevice.

The operation of the feed limiting device described above is as follows.When operating pressure is applied to the handle II the driving pawl 21is pressed into engagement with the aperture in the driven memberalready occupied by the part 23 of the stop pawl. The driving pawlpushes the stop pawl out of engagement with the aperture and conveysrotary movement to the driven member I8. Thi movement continues untilthe stoppawl engages in the next aperture and prevents further movementof the driven member.

The handle is then released and the spring returns the handle anddriving pawl to their original positions ready for the next operation ofthe device. The quarter turn given to the driven member in this way istransmitted through the gears to the shaft carrying the pin wheels whichfeed a corresponding length of stationery across the writing platen.

Figures 5 and 6 show, diagrammatically, an inverse modification of thearrangement just described. In this modification the driving memberconsists of the shaft 55 which is arranged for oscillation by theoperating handle in the manner already described and which carries adisc 5| fixed to the shaft. The driven member consists of a gear 52rotatable on the shaft and arranged, as before, to drive a shaftcarrying feeding pin wheels. The gear 52 has on one face a ring 53formed with apertures 54. The stop pawl 55 is located within the ring 53and is pivoted at 56 to a fixed part of the frame not shown in thediagram. The driving pawl 51 is outside the ring 53 and is pivoted at 58to the disc 5|. 7

The operation of this modified form of the feed limiting device is thaton the application of pressure to the operatinghandle to rotate theshaft 50 the pawl 5'5 first exerts radially inward pressure on the stoppawl 55 and forces it out of engagement with the aperture 54. When thepawl 55 has been disengaged from the aperture continued pressure on thehandle causes the pawl 51 by its engagement with the aperture to rotatethe driven member until such time as the stop pawl drops into the nextaperture 54 and prevents further rotation.

In a further modified arrangement as shown diagrammatically in Figure '7the driving pawl 60 is pivoted at 6I on the end of an arm 62 freelymounted on the driving shaft 63. The operative part 64 of the pawl leadsthe pivot as considered in the driving direction. One side face of thepawl has two upstanding projections 65, 66, one on either side of thepivot BI. The driving shaft 63 has a rigidly attached arm 61 of whichthe free end lies between the aforesaid projections 65, 66. In thisarrangement when feeding pressure is applied to the handle the fixed armengages the projection 55 on the pawl on the leading side of the pivotand rocks the pawl about the pivot thereby causing the operative part 64of the pawl to move outwardly and to disengage the stop pawl 63 from thedriven member 69. When the feeding operation is completed and the handlestarts to return the fixed arm engages the other projection 66 on thedriving pawl and rocks the pawl about its pivot to disengage it from thedriving member.

' I claim: 7

1. In an autographic register of the kind in which a supplyof'continuous stationery strips is traversed step-by-step across awriting platen by feeding means operable by successive movements, a feedlimiting device comprising an oscillatable 5 driving member, a rotatabledriven member having at least two circumferentially spaced apertures in"a circumferential surfaceaa movably mounted stop member: engageablewith each aperture of the driven mem'berin turn when the member reachesa predetermined" position in its rotation and on such engagement toprevent further rotation of the member, and a pawl'making apawl-"and-ratchet cne-way drive engagement with'that aperture of thedriven member which is then engaged by the stop member, said drivingpawl being connected to the driving member for movement by the drivingmember in the driving direction andby such engagement and movementinitially to engagethe stop member and to apply a thrust, in a directiontransverse to the driving direction, to the stop member to disengage thestop member from the engaged aperture, then, on continued movement ofthe driving 'member inthe same'dir'ection to rotate the driven memberuntilthe stop mei'nber engages a second aperture and prevents furthermovement of the driven member. v

2. In an autographic register of the type in which a supply ofcontinuous stationery strips is traversed step-by-step across a writingplaten by feeding means operable by successive oscillatory movements ofan external handle having a driving connection with the feeding means, afeed limiting device comprising a spindle constituting a driving memberand arranged for oscillatory movements by the operating handle, arotatable ring coaxial with and surrounding the spindle in spacedrelationship, the ring constituting a driven member and having at leasttwo apertures in its circumference, a stop pawl movably mounted adjacentthe ring to engage i in each aperture in turn to stop rotation of thering, and a driving pawl carried by the spindle for rotation therewithto make pawl-and-ratchet one-way driving engagement with the aperturesin the ring and to engage, at the beginning of each operation of thehandle in the feeding direction, the aperture already engaged by thestop pawl, to push the stop pawl out of the aperture by such engagementand then on continued movement of the handle in the feeding direction torotate the ring by its engagement with the aperture until the stop pawlby entering into the next aperture prevents further movement of thering,

3. In an autographic register of the kind in which a supply ofcontinuous stationery strips is traversed step-by-step across a writingplaten by feeding means operable by successive movements of an externalhandle having a driving connection with the feeding means, a feedlimiting device included in the said driving connection and comprising aspindle constituting a driving member and arranged for oscillatorymovements by the operating handle, a rotatable rin coaxial with andsurrounding the spindle in spaced relationship, the ring constituting adriven member operatively connected to the feeding means and having atleast two apertures in its circumference, a stop pawl movably mountedoutside the ring and arranged automatically to engage each aperture inturn from the outside to stop rotation of the ring in the feedingdirection, and a driving pawl carried by the spindle and positioned inthe space between the spindle and the ring, and arranged to makepawl-andratchet engagement with the apertures in the ring to effect aone-way feeding drive from the spindle to the ring and, at the beginningof each operation of the handle in the feeding direction, to make suchpawl-and-ratchet engagement from the inside 'ofthe: ring'with theaperture already engaged "by the stop pawl from the pursue; "-topass'through the' aperture thereby pushing'the sto'p'pawlo'ut oftheaperture and then by its engagement with the aperture to rotate the ringon continued movement of the handle in the same direction until the stoppawl by engagement with the nest aperture prevents'furtlier' limitingdevice comprising a spindle constitutw ing a driving member and arrangedfor oscillatorymovements by the operating handle, a retatable ringcoaxialwith and surrounding the spindle in spaced relationship, the ringconstituting "a 'drivenmember and having at leas'ttwo apertures in'itscircumference, a stop pawl'mov; ably mounted outside the ring andarranged automatically to engage each aperture in turn from the outsideto stop rotation of the ring, and a driving pawl carried by the spindleand positioned in the space between the spindle and the ring andarranged to make a pawl-and-ratchet one-way feeding drive from thespindle to the ring and, at the beginning of each. operation of thehandle in the feeding direction, to make such pawl-and-ratchetengagement from the inside of the ring with the aperture already engagedby the stop pawl from the outside, to pass through the aperture therebyto push the stop pawl out of the aperture and then by its engagementwith the aperture to rotate the ring on continued movement of the handlein the same direction until the stop pawl by engagement with the nextgap prevents further movement of the ring.

5. In an autographic register of the. kind in which a supply ofcontinuous stationery strips is drawn from a zig-zag pack and istraversed stepby-step across a writing platen by feeding means operableby successive movements of an external handle having a drivingconnection with the feeding means, a feed limiting device included inthe said driving connection and comprising a spindle constituting adriving member and arranged for oscillatory movements by the operatinghandle, a rotatable ring coaxial with and surrounding the spindle inspaced relationship, the ring constituting a driven member operativelyconnected to the feeding means and having four equally spaced aperturesin its circumference, a stop pawl movably mounted outside the ring and 7arranged automatically to engage each aperture in turn from the outsideto stop rotation of the ring and a driving pawl carried by the spindleand positioned in the space between the spindle and the ring andarranged to make a pawl-andratchet one-way feeding drive from thespindle to the ring and, at the beginning of each operation of thehandle in the feeding direction, to make such pawl-and-ratchetengagement from the inside of the ring with the aperture already engagedby the stop pawl from the outside, to pass through the aperture therebyto push the stop pawl out of the aperture and. then by its engagementwith the aperture to rotate the ring on continued movement of the handlein the same direction until the stop pawl by engagement with the nextaperture prevents further movement of the ring.

6. In an autographic register of the kind in which a supply ofcontinuous stationery strips is traversed step-by-step across a writingplaten by ing at least two apertures in its circumference, a

stop pawl movably mounted inside the ring and arranged automatically toengage each aperture in turn from the inside to stop rotation of thering in the feeding direction, and a driving pawl rotatable by thespindle and positioned outside the 'ring and arranged to make apawl-andratchet engagement with the apertures in the ring to effect aone-way feeding drive from the spindle to the ring and, at the beginningof each operation of the handle in the feeding direction, to make suchpawl-and-ratchet engagement from the outside of the ring with theaperture already engaged by the stop pawl from the inside, to passthrough the aperture thereby pushing the stop pawl out of the apertureand then by its engage ment with the aperture to rotate the ring oncontinued movement of the handle in the same direction until the stoppawl by engagement with the next aperture prevents further movement ofthe ring.

PERCY ALFRED FLAWN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

Y UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Hagemann Sept. 30, 1930 Grunwald Jan.13, 1931 Gautier Jan. 5', 1937 Scott et al. May 21, 1940 Dawson et a1.Oct. 29, 1940 Number

